


All Things Which Your Heart Desires

by VerdiWithin



Series: Talisman [48]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Controlling Parent, Established Relationship, Explicit Consent, F/M, Infidelity, Married Life, Period-Typical Sexism, Power Exchange, impending doom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:00:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/pseuds/VerdiWithin
Summary: Persephone and Hades attend the Underworld coronation party, as well as Eros and Psyche’s wedding.
Relationships: Eros/Psyche (Lore Olympus), Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus), Hera/Zeus (Lore Olympus)
Series: Talisman [48]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1497371
Comments: 32
Kudos: 230





	All Things Which Your Heart Desires

**Author's Note:**

> Previously in this series: 
> 
> Persephone and Hades are married, and Demeter is extremely angry about it. Eros and Psyche are engaged.

I’m standing in the dressing room, stunned with delight by the gown I just put on. Kompsos and Eros have really outdone themselves. This is  _ exquisite. _

“Can I come in yet?” Hades calls plaintively from the bedroom.

“Yes, you can.” 

I turn toward the door just in time to catch the moment when he sees me. He stops dead and his eyes widen. “Oh,  _ Kore, _ ” he breathes.

“I guess you like it, then.” 

“That’s not nearly strong enough. You look amazing.”

For once, I think so, too. The gown is strapless and floor-length, clinging tight to my curves. It’s white and embroidered with motifs of climbing vines, roses, and pomegranates. It has an attached cape, lined with midnight blue silk, which makes my silhouette stand out dramatically. “This is the design that Kompsos intended to propose for my wedding dress,” I mention.

Hades’s lips part, and his eyes soften with emotion. “It would have been perfect. Do you know, I was going to suggest we get married by the waterfall?”

“Oh! What a beautiful idea!” I reach up and cup his face, and he leans down to kiss me. “I love you so much, and I’m still content with how it happened. Truly.”

“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. But would you like to see your present?”

“Oh no, another one?” I can’t help laughing. I assumed I would wear the jewels Hades gave me last week, but I guess not. He turns me to face the mirror and takes a box from his pocket, behind my back. 

“It’s a necklace,” he says. “A simpler one, this time.”

I glimpse something sparkly as he raises his hands over my head. He lowers the new necklace into place and fastens it for me. I gasp when I get a good look in the mirror.

“You keep buying presents like that, you’ll end up bankrupt and dependent on  _ me. _ ”

He laughs, and kisses my neck. “That doesn’t seem so bad. Will you be strict with me? Put me on a budget?”

I smirk. “Naturally I will.” That is the sort of finance I understand.

“At some point, though, we should have a talk about money. I’d like to give you a tour of what we’ve got.”

I glance away nervously, and then have to force myself to look in his eyes again. “Okay. I can do that.” I had hoped that our trip to the bank last week would be enough in that department. We signed a bunch of papers and I received a new card and a checkbook.

“Not right now, though,” Hades says gently. “I know all of this is overwhelming. You’re doing extremely well, you know. You just keep rolling with the punches and I’m very impressed.”

It seems very odd to be accepting sympathy because I suddenly have to bear the burden of extreme wealth. I shrug, but I don’t pull away when he offers me a hug. It’s so lovely to be held and understood.

***

Tonight’s party is so much more fun than all the others. For one thing, we’re at home in the Underworld. This celebration is raucous and joyful, and much too big to be contained in any one place. It has multiple parts: the lobby of Tower One, the plaza outside, City Hall, and the entire street between. I’m told there are many smaller parties and festivals happening concurrently, all over the city. 

Hades and I start off at City Hall, meeting officials and letting ourselves be seen. We dance for a while, and have some champagne, then join the party in the plaza. This one is huge, occupying several tents and spilling down the surrounding streets. There are performers everywhere: jugglers, singers, acrobats and comedians. Knots of people congregate around watching these, but when we come near, they only have eyes for us. 

I’m extremely overdressed for this sort of street festival, but no one seems to mind. More than once, young children make comments along the lines that I look like a proper queen. I treasure these. According to Hecate’s schedule, we’re supposed to spend an hour at City Hall and an hour in the plaza, but there’s so much to see and so many people to meet that we spend closer to two outside.

When we finally enter Tower One, I’m chilled through and ready to be indoors for the rest of the night. It’s the most stressful moment of the evening for me: we are formally announced and the whole lobby full of people applauds and cheers. Many of them are friends, family, and employees, but others are the people invited because they volunteered to help find me when my mother took me away. Inviting them to an exclusive coronation party seemed like a suitable gift of thanks.

So many people want to meet me or say hello, I lose track of time. It’s bewildering to me that I could be the subject of so much general interest. Over and over people pay me compliments, or say how glad they are to see Hades happy, or how long they’ve waited to have a queen in the Underworld. I smile and thank them all. It’s exhausting and thrilling at the same time.

I turn from speaking to Artemis and Nemesis to find a small crowd of people awaiting my attention. In their center stands a pair of nymphs, not like others I have seen before. The two of them are a deep blue, and very tall and slender. Their eyes glow with golden sparks, and each holds a flaming torch, out to her side. The surrounding people are giving them plenty of room, but watching in open fascination.

“Your Majesty,” says one, in a voice that seems cracked from disuse. “I am Gorgyra, and this is Orphne. We have long awaited a queen in the Underworld.”

“I am pleased to meet you both,” I say cautiously.

“We have witnessed your courage and loyalty. We have seen the others who have flocked to serve you, but it is not our way to venture out of the shadows without cause,” Gorgyra continues. The other remains silent and unmoving. “We will wait, and attend you in the darkness, where all others cannot venture.”

This sounds both ominous and promising. “I will value your company then,” I tell them.

Gorgyra does not react but I detect a tiny smile curling Orphne’s lips. 

“We will see you again, our queen,” Gorgyra says. Both nymphs dissolve into wisps of black smoke that quickly dissipates. The watching people move away as well, now that the show is over.

I’m not surprised to find Hecate at my shoulder. “Who are they?” I ask.

“They are Lampades. Chthonic nymphs, and very rare. They wanted to honor you.”

“That’s very interesting,” I say. I wish she’d give me a bit more information. “Well, I wanted to thank you for this party! It’s gorgeous.”

“I’m very glad you’re pleased,” Hecate says, smiling slightly. “They were right. It is an excellent thing for the Underworld to have a queen at last.”

“I’m flattered to hear that, but also just a little concerned.”

“None of us mean to say that Hades is in any way deficient. Merely that our realm was at a disadvantage.”

I think about the back-and-forth between Hera and Amphitrite, and I understand. The Underworld has not been well-represented in that respect. “Well, I’ll do my best.”

Hecate nods. “I know you will. Excuse me, please, I need to keep this show running smoothly.”

A waiter approaches me and I take a glass of champagne. More people crowd around to speak to me, and I smile and listen to them. They’re all eager to please, and every so often a friend is interspersed with the newcomers.

As I wind down one conversation, a new voice speaks by my shoulder. “Hello,” a young, pale person says. It takes me a moment to recognize Thanatos’s daughter. 

“Hello, Achlys, how are you?”

She beams at me. “You remember me!”

“Certainly I do!”

“I have a question I wanted to ask. My mother says I shouldn’t bother you, but I thought you might understand a young goddess needing to figure some things out.”

“Of course, I don’t mind. What’s the question?”

“I… wanted to know what happened to my father’s godhead. I’m not mad at you! Please don’t think that. I just want to know.”

“Well, it’s hard to answer that. I have it, I suppose. I haven’t tried to use it directly since I, ah, acquired it.”

“Do you think it will… I don’t know, move on?”

“I have no idea. I know that domains change from time to time, but I don’t know how they do that.”

“Oh. Well… thanks for talking to me. It was really nice of you!”

She turns to go, scampering away into the crowd. Her place is soon taken by another person eager to speak to me, but I am left with the feeling that Achlys wants something more.

“Girl!” Eros says, running up and grabbing my hand. “Didn’t I tell you that gown would be perfect? And, oh,  _ damn _ \--” He pauses in shock when he notices my new necklace. “Wow! Guess Hades decided you didn’t have enough bling yet?”

“Yes. He said I needed something simple,” I reply, deadpan.

“Simple! A triple strand of huge graduated diamonds is  _ simple?” _

“I guess it is when you make them yourself.” I’m unable to keep from smiling. I’m very pleased with my present. I love the picture of Hades making all these pretty stones for me. It makes me melty inside.

“This party is wonderful, Persephone,” says Psyche, taking Eros’s arm. “I cannot wait to see the fireworks!”

“I know, me too!”

I feel a warm hand on my back and look up to see Hades behind me. “I’m very glad you’re enjoying it, Psyche,” he says.

“This is a fantastic party, man. But just think, the next time we see you, it will be for  _ our  _ wedding!” Eros squeals.  _ “Finally! _ ”

I laugh, overjoyed for him. Unfortunately, I have three other parties to get through between now and the wedding.

Hades’s hand moves on my back. “They’re waiting on us to start the dancing, Sweetness.”

“Wonderful, I’ve been waiting for this.” 

I take his arm and we move out to the center of the lobby, over the polished black-marble floor. We’re the focus of all eyes, and I know it, and I don’t care at all. The music starts, and I melt into Hades’s embrace, one hand in his, the other on his shoulder. I adore dancing with him. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s modern, free-form style, or this more formal way. 

Hades is an excellent dancer, quick on his feet and good at leading without being pushy about it. Honestly, I’m not all that great on my own merits, but with him I feel graceful. I float over the floor, light and smooth, held in strong arms.

“What are you thinking, little goddess? You look all blissed out.”

I smile up at him. “I learned dancing from the nymphs I grew up with. So I was thinking about dancing in a field with a nymph while the others sang and clapped, and how weird that was. And yet it prepared me for this moment, somehow.”

He smiles gently. “That sounds like a fun way to learn.”

“It was kind of ridiculous and I thought I was just humoring them. But I’m glad now.”

“Why did they want to teach you?”

I shrug. “They couldn’t imagine a goddess not dancing at some point. And I couldn’t imagine needing that information, but they were very enthusiastic so I let them.”

He shakes his head, full of compassion. “Was it sad, growing up and thinking you wouldn’t get to do things?”

This seems like a loaded question, coming from him. He grew up knowing he wouldn’t be doing anything at all. My childhood was much easier, and I feel a stab of guilt. “No, not exactly. When I was small I thought I had a purpose, and a role to fill. I felt secure in that. It was only more recently that it started to chafe.”

“If you… ever felt like that now, you would say something, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, I would tell you. Don’t worry, Smush.”

“I do worry, though. All of this has got to be a huge imposition. I never want to be a burden to you.”

I squeeze his hand gently. I’m not surprised that his tendency to run himself down is coming out. He’s been doing a good job of managing it but he needs to express it sometimes. “I can’t deny that it’s a lot, and you probably see me struggling. But I think it’s worth it. Honestly, any burden would be worth it to be with you, but I think I’m really going to like my new job once I get used to it.”

“Oh. I’m really glad to hear you say that, Kore.”

“I mean it. I’m not just saying it.”

He nods, accepting this. The song ends and another begins, but we just keep dancing. I don’t want this to ever end. This party feels magical--a beautiful moment in time. The food, the wine, the location, the people: the combination makes me feel wrapped in love and surrounded by friends. 

We dance for hours, pausing only occasionally for a drink and a brief chat with people. Well into the night, we take the elevator up to the roof to watch the fireworks. Standing with Hades’s arms around me, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I put all my worries aside and just think about how lucky I am.

***

Late the next morning, I leave Hades sleeping and sneak downstairs. I want to surprise him with a nice breakfast. I feed the dogs, and then start assembling the ingredients I need. As I’m bent over rummaging in the fridge, I’m startled by his voice behind me.

“What are you up to, little goddess?”

I leap upright and twist around to look at him. “Oh! I thought you were asleep!”

He laughs. “I was planning to make  _ sfougato _ for you.” This is a very tempting offer. Hades is seriously talented at making anything egg-based.

“I was going to make fried bread with feta. We could do both,” I suggest.

He advances, eyes hooded and sexy-menacing, arms folded, herding me toward the corner of the kitchen. I back away, playing along, until I’m up against the counter. I notice that even while pretending to be scary, Hades is leaving me enough space for an escape route. “Or we could just go back to bed,” he growls, placing his hands on either side of me.

“I don’t want to go back to bed.”

“Oh!” His eyes widen and he backs off immediately, completely shutting down his smolder.

I give him my best sultry smile and pull myself up to sit on the counter. “Why go all that way?” I bite my lip and tilt my head so I’m looking through my lashes, and catch his answering grin.

“Why, indeed,” he says, his voice thrumming with emotion. He returns to his former position, leaning over me, not quite touching. “Perhaps for greater comfort, so we can linger?”

“But I wanted to surprise you with a treat for breakfast.” I smile and sway my shoulders, drawing a finger down my chest, dragging the neck of my top as far as it will go. Hades’s eyes follow, fascinated by the shadow between my breasts.

His knee-trembling smile grows slowly, then he flicks his gaze to my eyes again. I feel a deep spurt of arousal, and catch my breath. “ _ You _ are a treat. And a continual surprise," he says, his brows going up. His expression makes me melt. I want him, right  _ now. _

“You should unwrap your surprise, then,” I tell him, letting my tongue linger on my upper lip.

“And devour my treat?” He looks me over appreciatively. I'm wearing a silky blue camisole and shorts set that I chose to please him. I’m pretty sure he likes it.

I laugh. “Maybe.” 

His mouth is on my neck: sucking, nipping, flicking his tongue. I sigh in happy anticipation. He’s just wearing his short black robe, so I give it enough of a yank to pull the sides apart, then slide my hands inside. I feel a shiver pass through him as I find his nipples and circle them lazily with my thumbs. 

He’s nibbling my ear, breathing into it, and I get cold chills down my spine. I wrap my legs around his waist as he straightens, looking down at me with a half-smile.

“I liked what you were doing.” I pinch his nipples and hear his answering hum. “I liked it a lot.”

“What was that?”

“Being scary,” I whisper, pretending to a fear that I don’t feel at all. “Making me feel… defenseless.”

“Oh, I see.”

One of his hands moves from the counter, stroking up my back. He gathers a handful of my hair into a bunch and then pulls my head back. It doesn't hurt, but it does surprise me. I arch my back and thrust my breasts out, enjoying being on display.

I hold still, not using my hands to tempt Hades for the moment, just gripping his shoulders for balance. I wait to see what he'll do. He holds my hair, keeping me tilted back while he studies me. His free hand enters my field of vision, rising up to stroke my cheek lightly, then my lips.

"I don't like the idea of you being afraid, though,” he says, lips brushing my jaw. “Unless--"

He doesn't continue, but begins trailing his fingers down my neck, making me think about the time he put his hand on my throat, at my request. I suppose he means me to think about that, because he's watching me carefully.

"Unless what?"

"Perhaps if you were afraid of something very specific, that would be acceptable."

I think I understand. "Do you have something in mind?"

"I do. It involves quite a lot of… teasing."

"Oh!" My whole body feels hot, hearing this. I'm suddenly  _ quite _ in the mood to be teased. "Um… may I ask, where does the fear come in?"

"Ah! The fear is: will I let you come, or will I leave you hanging?" He tugs slightly on my hair. 

I can feel my eyes widening. Heat settles in my pelvis, fluid seeping out of me and dampening my silky pants. I squirm, feeling my core pulsing and contracting. I don’t really have any doubt how this will end, but the suspense and release of control sound fun. 

"I would like to consent to this plan fully and emphatically," I say.

He smiles, every increment of his lips' curve boosting my delicious tension. "Then put your hands on the counter and don’t move them until I tell you.”

I obey, catching my breath.

Still holding my hair, Hades stands as far from me as his long arms will permit and looks me over thoroughly. I try not to move, just watch his expression. He looks like he’s evaluating how much he can put me through today, and that idea sets me tingling all over.

The belt of his robe is still knotted, concealing his lower body from my gaze, but the front is tented out over his erection. I know perfectly well that he’s just as eager for me as I am for him. I will have to remember that when he gets going with this teasing. I have a feeling he means to make me suffer delightfully.

“You’re sure I can’t talk you into going back to bed?” he asks, raising one eyebrow.

“Why, you need an ideal setting to make this work?”

“Minx! Hush your mouth, I certainly do not. Any reasonably flat surface will do, if my beloved is eager. In a pinch, I can cope without.”

I try to control my giggles. He’s trying to be scary, or intense anyway, and my laughing is sort of ruining that mood. “Your beloved is  _ very _ eager,” I say.

He nods, and raises his free hand again. It skims over my body, not quite touching, tracing along the straps of my camisole, toying with the little ruffle at the neckline, lifting the loose fabric on my hips. I bite my lip. His switching back and forth between playful and sensuous makes me want to drag him to the floor. 

“The way this clings to you, it drives me wild,” Hades murmurs, his voice low and rough. He runs the hem of the camisole between his fingers, but doesn’t lift it or touch my skin. I shiver. “I can see your nipples, and the way it’s getting dark between your legs.”

His words make my pulse throb with need. I’m aching to have his hands on me, but I hold still and practice my patience.

“Still… it’ll look quite nice on the floor, too,” he goes on. “Raise your arms.”

I stifle a laugh at this. I raise my arms up over my head cooperatively. Hades lets go of my hair, sliding the camisole up and off, dropping it behind him. His mouth settles directly on my nipple, and I have to force myself to put my hands back to their former places, rather than embrace him as my instinct directs.

I quiver, struggling to hold still as he caresses my breasts, lifting and stroking them. He bites softly, totally focused on my body. I agreed to let him do as he pleases with me, and knowing this is like gulping down a shot of hard liquor. Fire surges in my veins, through my belly, pooling in my center. I’m tingling with waves of hot and cold, craving my lover’s touch.

His hands move slowly, one caressing my back, one on my breast, his mouth sliding from my neck to shoulder and then returning to my nipple. All his touches are delicate, barely felt--he’s awakening every nerve. I can feel the fine hairs on my body standing to attention, my skin prickling with sensitivity. 

I close my eyes and lean back a bit, allowing full access. I grip the edge of the counter for stability and let my thighs open. Hades is still standing at a distance from me. I would like to feel him pressing against me, but he wants to go at his own pace and I’m eager to learn what he has planned.

I know very well that he has a lot more experience than I do, but he never makes a big deal of it. Only rarely does he give a suggestion for something I could do differently. Much more often, he just expresses wonder, gratitude, and delight for our activities and the things I’m willing to try. He makes me feel like a proper goddess: bestowing rewards upon my favored supplicant, accepting worship from him.

I giggle, but try to suppress it. I don’t want to interrupt the mood.

“What are you thinking, little goddess?”

Hades smiles, and I smile back, feeling my cheeks heating. His nickname for me inadvertently reinforces my thoughts.

“I was just thinking how much I like the way you treat me. This isn’t at all scary, you know.”

“Oh, just wait. The anticipation is part of it.”

His hands slide down my torso, skimming lightly, almost tickling. He rests them for a moment on the waistband of my shorts, letting me understand what comes next. He hooks his thumbs and tugs down by tiny degrees. This is excruciating. I’m holding myself still, ready to be naked, ready to be touched and fondled and worked.

Very slowly, his eyes never leaving mine, he slides my shorts down my thighs. When the garment reaches my knees, I almost lose patience. I want to kick them off, but something in Hades’s eyes makes me hesitate. He’s alert to this kind of rebellion. I bite my lip and hold still.

He makes me wait for another long moment, just watching. Finally he grins and pulls my shorts down, dropping them on the floor. I let my thighs part again and feel the cool air on my wet, heated flesh. I rest my knees on the counter, needing some support for my legs. I lean back. I try to demonstrate that I’m open, willing, desperately horny.

Hades approaches with small steps. His eyes rake over me, appraising every sign of my arousal. His hands hover over my body, miming caresses that never connect. I whimper.

“And what are you thinking now?” he murmurs. His eyes blaze with intense fire.

“I think I’ll explode if you don’t touch me.” My voice is squeaky, uncontrolled. I don’t even care. Let him hear what he’s doing to me.

“That might be interesting to see.”

I try for big, imploring eyes. I’m not sure I succeed, judging from his face. “You want me to lose all control?”

“No, Sweetness. I want to see whether your control is strong enough to take you to the next level. I want to see you come so hard you forget your name.”

I shudder violently, unable to stop it. I want this so badly I nearly grab him with my arms and legs and try to pull him to me. It’s only my desire to impress him that stops me. He smiles as if he understands every nuance of my internal struggle. One hand raises and combs through my hair, tugging gently. Even this is enough to keep the fires of my lust surging. I’m responding deeply to the most negligible of stimuli. This is the point, I realize suddenly. He’s taking me farther, with less, by drawing it out. I suppose I understand, even if I’m very frustrated.

Hades moves in closer now, enough so that the fabric of his robe brushes my legs. He places my arms behind my back one at a time, slow and deliberate, then holds them together at the wrists with just his thumb and middle finger. It's clear to me from his light grip that if I make any attempt to pull away, he'll let me go. Is the implication that if I do, he'll stop making love to me, too? I'm not sure, but I have no desire to halt any part of this. My heart is pounding with excitement.

“Are you sure you're still okay with this?” he asks.

“Yes. Very.”

“Close your eyes?” 

He says it so softly, a gentle request. I can refuse if I want to. I close my eyes.

There’s only a brief moment of further delay before he starts giving me what I want. I feel the fingers of his free hand on my leg and I gasp with elation. He’s just using his fingertips, barely touching. Nevertheless he’s moving slowly up my thigh, stroking some of the most sensitive points on my body. 

The touch skims nearer and nearer to my throbbing center, and I throw back my head and moan. I can’t help it. As his fingers approach my wet, needful sex, he’s slowing down, but he doesn’t stop. Hope makes my lust swell and my conscious thoughts scatter. I can’t focus on anything but Hades. His touch, the sound of his breathing, the feeling of his hand holding my wrists, his scent surrounding me.

He brushes my labia with a feather touch and I inhale sharply, the smell of smoke and cedar sending my mind cascading. My body is tense and trembling on the brink of orgasm, and I’m  _ shocked _ by this. How could I be reacting so profoundly and so quickly, to such a tentative approach?

“Oh my,” Hades murmurs. “How responsive you are! I think you need a moment to calm down.” 

His hand withdraws and I bite down a cry of disappointment. I stay still, trying to slow my breathing. This is an exercise in restraint and self-control, just as much as it is in patience. The very tender way he’s holding my hands is a huge temptation. I could pull away, grab him, take charge. He might let me, but maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he would deny me, as he implied. That’s the fear part. I shudder. 

“May I open my eyes?” I ask.

“You may.” I look up into his face, studying what I see there. His mouth is slightly quirked, and he's watching me carefully. “What are you thinking now?” he asks.

“This is very hard,” I whisper. 

His fingers skim along the crease between my hip and thigh. “Why?” he asks. “Do you really think I would let you down?”

“No. Not really. I’m just  _ aching _ for you.”

“And I for you, never doubt it. Is it an unpleasant feeling?”

“No, but it’s full of… tension, I suppose. Uncertainty.”

“But you trust me.”

“Without the slightest reservation. I hope you know that by now.”

“I do, Sweetness. I do.”

His hand is hovering over my mound, his fingers just brushing the hair there, undulating gently. It’s indirect and maddening. “Please?” I ask.

“All right. But you need to stay in control.”

I nod frantic agreement. I feel one finger brushing my outer folds, tracing downwards. I want to wail. My skin tightens in response to this foray, and I can feel my fluids gushing. I breathe as slowly as I can, and close my eyes again. This both helps, and doesn’t, at the same time. My other senses are sharpened, especially touch and smell. One finger is probing very lightly at my entrance. I hold still. If I control myself, he’ll give me more, won’t he?

I feel his breath on me, and the touch of his robe on my thighs again as he takes a step closer. I keep myself from reacting outwardly but my lust is spiraling. I detect warmth very near my core, and hear the faint whisper of fabric. I keep my eyes closed and imagine. Has he let his robe slip off? I think so. I picture him, standing naked in front of me, holding my wrists and probing my sex with one finger. 

Is his cock ready and near? His breath is coming faster, though he’s doing a better job of controlling it than I am. I bite my lip and try not to overreact as the finger at my entrance slips inside. I’m very wet, so much so that it cuts down on my sensation. One finger isn’t going to do much more than tease me.

“Not yet, love. You’re doing very well,” Hades says. His voice is warm with approval. I try to calm my reaction.

“I want to please you,” I whisper.

“Oh, Kore, you always do. This isn’t about pleasing me. It’s about making  _ your _ pleasure more intense.”

I can definitely feel the heat of his body now. I receive a faint sense that he’s very,  _ very  _ close to me, only just shy of touching. His voice is above me, so I tilt my head back and part my lips, hoping I can entice a kiss.

“I feel like the skin all over my body has become very thin,” I whisper. “I feel like my boundaries are all erased. I could take any shape, like a pool of water.”

“That’s very interesting.” 

His voice is right by my ear and I feel his tickling breath. I bite my lip and don’t let any sound escape. He pauses for only a moment, and then I feel his lips on my ear, tugging the lobe, his tongue tracing the contours. All at once his body is against mine, my breasts pressing to his hard chest, his cock skidding through my folds, probing my entrance. I can’t contain my shriek this time.

Hades enters slowly, the thick head distending me wonderfully, then pauses with just the tip inside me. Perched on the edge of the counter, my hands behind my back, I can't move much. I both want to stay still and pliant, accepting whatever he wants to give me, and at the same time, to squirm and thrust and demand. To let myself go completely and be ruled by lust.

I moan while pressing my lips together. I will  _ not  _ beg. Well, not yet, anyway. Let him work for it.

He’s kissing my neck and shoulder: the intense, wet kind that makes me wild. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s been studying me for some time now, and this is the result. I feel his hand on my belly, tracing lower, and the relief and excitement I feel makes my inner muscles clench helplessly. Hades makes a soft sound against my neck.

“Naughty,” he purrs.

“I can’t help it,” I whimper. “I need you so badly!” Does that count as begging? I don’t think so. It’s a statement of fact.

I feel his fingers above my clit, tugging a little and pulling the hood up and down. I’m frantic with the need to be touched. What he’s doing now is indirect and it feels  _ incredible _ but it’s not enough.

“Please, please touch it! I need to come!” The words spill out of me without my volition. I don’t even know what I’m saying.

“I know you do, Sweetness. All in good time.” His voice is deep and throaty. I know I’m affecting him, but I have no way to leverage this. He’s totally in control, proving his mastery of my body.

He rocks his hips against me, pushing in just a little more, then back out to the tip. I don’t allow my mouth to open but desperate sounds escape anyway. He’s using two fingers now on either side of my clit, rubbing in deep circles. It’s still too indirect for my needs but it’s driving me crazy. I can feel the sweat on my skin and my feet feel ice cold as all my blood rushes to my groin. 

Hades tugs my wrists, making me lean backwards slightly. The new position puts pressure inside me in a different way and I huff and pant to try to contain myself. He’s moving just a tiny bit, rocking on his feet, but the spot he’s stroking inside my channel is very sensitive. Heat pours along my limbs, like I have lava in my veins. A tingle grips the back of my neck and I start to rock my hips, unable to do anything but yield to the inexorable force of lust building in me.

“So lovely,” Hades whispers. “Look at you, Kore. You’re exquisite.” 

He pinches the top of my mound, massaging my labia around the head of his cock, and I wail. That feels like nothing I’ve ever felt. My whole body pulses with the need to come. He keeps rubbing me like that, just short of enough stimulation, and his mouth closes on mine. 

I gasp with happiness, pressing to his lips. His tongue probes with brazen sureness, knowing just how to push me. I can only cling to him, sloppily trying to suck his bottom lip. I’m a squirming, straining mess, without will or a shred of control. Hades pulls back from our kiss.

“Open your eyes, love. I want you to see.”

I obey immediately, looking up into his burning eyes. He smiles at me, like a scoundrel, like a tender lover. “Look down,” he directs.

I do, leaning forward so I can see. I notice immediately that my clit is so engorged that it sticks out dramatically. Below that, Hades’s cock is partially engulfed in my body, shiny with my fluids. While I watch, he moves back and forth inside me, small movements, but I feel them in every muscle and tendon of my body.

“Can you see?” he asks. He sounds breathless. His arousal stokes mine, though I hardly need it. “I want you to watch me move inside you. Do you like that?”

“Yes!”

He releases my wrists abruptly, placing one hand farther back to support my weight, and taking the other in his. “I want you to touch, now. Touch where we are joined.”

I obey this too, carefully snaking my hand down between our bodies. My labia are swollen and very wet. I trace along my opening with one finger, feeling the circumference of Hades’s thick cock. He begins to thrust, still shallow, but with a steady rhythm. A prolonged, high-pitched sound breaks from my lips.

“Do you like that, Sweetness? Can you feel me?”

“Yes! Oh, fuck yes!” My voice doesn’t even sound like my own. I circle my whole hand around his shaft, gripping him firmly and pumping. Quivery shocks of warning spark in my sheath. My whole body is ready. I can’t wait much longer.

“You’ve been so strong,” Hades says. “I want to fuck you now.  _ Hard. _ Is that what you want?”

“ _ Yes. _ Please! I need you!” My pleas explode out of me, uncontainable.

He pulls my hand away gently, and surrounds me in his arms. I wrap both arms around his shoulders and my legs around his waist. He thrusts deep, his belly pressing to my clit, and gives me a little grind. I shriek, and find my teeth in his shoulder, but I don't clamp down. I’m shivering through a tight little almost-orgasm, but I don’t get time to savor it.

Hades begins to hammer me: fast, deep, and ferocious. On his second or third stroke something trips in my body, some level of restraint that I’ve never surpassed before, and I throw back my head, making noises like an animal.

There’s a roaring in my ears like the rush of a waterfall, and I’m hot and cold all over, quivering, shuddering. My whole body contracts painfully as the orgasm seizes me. Molten joy jolts through me, tingling my nipples, freezing my toes, burning my ears. I’m staring up at the ceiling, my vision wavery, limbs jerking. I can feel my sheath shuddering around Hades. He persists in his thrusting and my body keeps responding, unable to stop.

“Yes, like  _ that, _ little goddess,” he hisses. 

Every muscle is clenching all at once and it would hurt if it didn’t feel so incredibly good. I’m unable to do anything but ride out the sensation, clutching fast to Hades, trusting him to push me as far as I can go. The sensation goes on and on, wave after wave. I’m just starting to think it’s abating when Hades goes into a near frenzy, squeezing me tight to his body, crushing his hips to mine, deep inside me. 

The final throes of this colossal orgasm overshadow all the precursors. I can’t make a sound this time, I have no breath. My vision darkens as the nearly painful convulsions grip me, and I feel Hades spurting as he shouts.

The first breath I’m able to draw is a deliverance. Oxygen floods back into my lungs, and I blink multiple times. My joints are locked in place and I’m too stiff to move. I cling to Hades, letting him and the counter support me. Probably the counter is supporting both of us; he seems exhausted too. I’m still having little shivery post-orgasmic spasms when he straightens up. He holds me against his chest, running his hands through my hair. I hum happily, kissing his shoulder and collarbone. 

“You okay?” he asks. 

“Yeah. That was…  _ astonishing,” _ I say. My voice sounds goofy and raw even to my own ears. I’m a bit high, I realize. “You’re telling me it would have somehow been better if we’d gone back to bed?”

“Perhaps not. You are extremely inspiring,” Hades chuckles into my neck. His big hands cup my butt and lift me up. He turns and carries me from the kitchen.

I hold tight to him, laughing. “Where are you taking me now?”

“Not far, don’t worry.”

We enter the living room and I feel him bending, lowering me to the rug. Once my hips touch the ground, he kneels and allows me to lean back on my elbows. He sits back on his heels, hands resting on his thighs, looking at me. Totally naked, legs splayed, leaking his semen. Smiling at him, and wondering what happens next.

“I haven’t withdrawn my consent, you know,” I say.

Hades grins at me lazily, one side of his mouth higher than the other. I have to bite my lip and dig my fingers into the rug to absorb the impact of his gaze. He looks like a complete and utter scoundrel. How can I want him again, so intensely, already? I still ache a bit from his forceful thrusts just a few minutes ago.

“Is that so? I will have to do something about that, then.” He doesn’t move yet, just considers me as he did before. 

“Did I rise to your expectations?” I ask. “I would hate to think I disappointed you.”

The expression on his face makes me shiver: speculative and very naughty. “Of course I’m not disappointed. But I think you have still more in you.”

“Oh? More what?” 

“Let’s find out.”

Hades keeps his eyes locked on mine as he dives forward, lying down on the rug between my spread legs. His hands slide under my butt, cupping and kneading, and his mouth settles over my vulva. He slurps at my sex, dripping with our mixed fluids, and I gasp in surprise. I didn’t expect him to do that! I’ve never minded letting him come in my mouth, but somehow him licking his own juices out of me seems decadently wicked.

I watch him, wide-eyed. I can tell he’s amused by my shock. After a few moments I begin to smile, relaxing and enjoying the gentle lapping sensation. I’m still too overloaded from before so I appreciate that he’s starting slow. Looking down at my body, I can clearly see that my clit is hugely swollen. I would have guessed it was without looking, given that it feels throbby and incredibly sensitized.

Hades begins swirling his tongue, venturing upwards from my opening, flicking as he approaches the more sensitive area. It does not take much more than a few swipes of his wonderful tongue to put me right back in the state I was earlier: absolutely frenzied with lust. This time, though, he doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t back away or slow down. He intensifies his touch, fluttering his tongue rapidly, moving slowly until he touches my clit directly and I shriek. His touch becomes firm and demanding, relentless. He sucks hard on my clit, and several fingers slip inside me, thrusting steadily. 

I lift my legs, curling my whole body upward as I start to come again. This time it’s a punishing, deep contraction, a pleasure so sharp it almost hurts. Hades backs off slightly, giving me a break while still pumping his fingers inside me. He hooks them now, stroking my inner walls in some way I can’t define, but it sends me reeling again. I’m already inhabiting a wild, spinning zone of pure feeling, it doesn’t take much to push me right over the edge again.

I howl through another orgasm, clamping my thighs around Hades’s head, my fingers in his hair. I don’t even know if I’m trying to make him stop, or continue. He’s going at my clit again, slurping at it, pulling air past it as well as exerting intense suction. This sensation wrecks everything, every limit I thought I understood about myself. I’m coming again and I can’t even make a noise this time. I jerk and thrash wildly, like a hooked fish. 

When that one is over Hades changes tactics, his tongue inside me again. He’s thrusting and probing deep, with his hand rubbing my mound. This manipulation is more indirect and so more tolerable to my oversensitized flesh. I find myself rocking my hips eagerly, not caring that about the stinging, cramping feelings in my deepest muscles. I put my hand over his and press down hard into my groin. The next climax comes out of nowhere, ambushing me with taut, shocking pulses that squeeze my loins.

“Oh!” I moan. I squirm through this one, rubbing my shoulders into the rough texture of the carpet as a sort of counterbalance to the torturous delight that sears through me.

“One more?” Hades asks.

I pant several long breaths. I feel heavy and drugged, my overheated flesh quivering like a plucked bowstring. “Okay,” I pant. 

I don’t know why I agreed. I can already feel the nervous tightening in my belly, not ready for another onslaught of touch and pleasure. The ragged sound of my breathing is the only thing I can hear as Hades moves up to my clit again, swirling his tongue around it, pressing mercilessly. I let out a squeal, and I’m not entirely sure if it’s a complaint or applause.

He answers me with a low growl that vibrates my sensitive nub, then he slurps on it again and I come with such violent force that I feel like all my bones have turned to lightning and the electricity is flashing through my veins and organs, heating me from within. Sizzling hot bolts radiate from my pulsing clit and I scream at the top of my lungs. Hades still doesn’t stop, sucking and vibrating his tongue, pushing me hard through more and more convulsions until I finally can’t take any more.

“No more, please, I can’t, I can’t!” I’m nearly sobbing, flailing in a torrent of emotions. My stomach and thighs are cramping from repeated spasms. I feel like I’ve been through a vicious workout. 

Hades sits up, looking at me with concern. “What do you need, Sweetness?”

“Water,” I croak. My throat is incredibly dry, and I can’t stop panting. 

He leaps up, dashing off to the kitchen. He returns in a few moments, and helps me to sit up, holding me tenderly against his chest. I take the bottle and gulp it down, the cool water soothing the sandpaper feeling away.

I’m still drawing deep breaths when I put the bottle down. Hades is alert. “Are you okay?” he asks.

“Uh huh,” I can’t say more, not yet. My vocal cords are raspy, and I can’t focus.

He watches me closely. I’m guessing that he can’t decide between deep satisfaction for what he did to me, and guilt--also for what he did to me. I cup his jaw in my hand and pull him toward me, resting our foreheads together. I kiss his nose and nuzzle him, then close my eyes and rest my cheek against his.

After another minute I feel capable of communicating. “That was…  _ wow. _ I felt like I was going to dissolve and float away as little particles in the air.”

“Just so I’m clear, you’re saying it was good?”

I laugh. “I’m having trouble coming up with strong enough words, so sure, let’s say  _ good _ .”

We curl up together, lying on the carpet for a long time. Hades’s head rests on my stomach, his arms around my waist. I idly stroke his hair, combing it with my fingers, and he occasionally kisses my belly. By this point, there’s no question of his emotional state. Smug serenity just about pours out of him, and I can’t say I mind in the least.

This morning’s encounter was an eye-opening lesson in delayed gratification, something Hades has been wanting me to understand for a while now. I suppose he’s justified in his satisfaction. He certainly put in the work with tremendous enthusiasm.

This attitude is no surprise. From the start, Hades had always thought more about my needs and feelings than his own. I frown a little. I’ve been pretty caught up in figuring out my own problems. Maybe I’ve been selfish.

“Do you think we’re doing this marriage thing right?” I ask.

“I have no idea. Is there one right way to do it?” He looks up at me, raising one eyebrow.

“I don’t know. That’s the problem. I just want to know if you’re getting what you need.”

He raises both brows now. “Of course I am! I’ve never been this happy in my life. I’ve never been anywhere  _ close _ to this happy. Where is this coming from, Sweetness?”

I shrug, feeling a little confused. “I just don’t know how to be a wife. I don’t have many role models, and I keep thinking of the things my mother used to tell me.”

“Like what?”

“She would go on and on about how marriage for women meant not having opinions and being subservient all the time. Plus some veiled allusions about enduring the awful ordeal of sex. I know I can’t trust her on this subject, but still--it seems like she could be at least partly right. From what I’ve observed.”

Hades hesitates for a long moment. “From also having observed other people’s marriages, that sort of thing may be true about  _ them _ . That doesn’t mean it has to be true about  _ us. _ I like how we are now. I like that we play and take turns, and don’t take any of this too seriously. I don’t want you to feel like you’re less important than me, because you’re not.”

I nod. That’s pretty much what I thought he’d say, but I had this nagging doubt that I had to clear up. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I’m sorry. I don’t really think you’re like that, but--”

“But a lot of men are. My brother, for instance. I promised in our contract that I would share everything with you, and we would be equals. I really meant it. I couldn’t stand treating you any differently.”

I swallow down a lump in my throat. I knew this. Why am I making him rehash it? “I guess I just needed a little reassurance,” I say. “Our private lives aren’t necessarily on the same basis as our public ones.”

Hades nods and massages me lightly with his hands. “I see what you mean. But what about you? Are you getting what you need from me? Because I don’t know anything more about how to be married than you do.”

I have to catch my breath, and then I squirm down until I can throw myself into his arms, gripping his shoulders tightly. “I think you’re doing great.”

***

Between parties, work, helping prepare for the wedding, and trying to think up ways to prevent my mother’s planned disaster from harming the Mortal Realm, it’s a rather full week. I’m starting plans for dedicating part of Elysium to raise crops to help feed the mortal population. It will be many weeks before there is a harvest, but it’s likely I can hurry that along. I wonder what will happen if we interrupt the usual day-night cycle. Will the plants grow continuously? It seems like a worthwhile experiment.

In addition, I’m learning how this whole shade-judging process goes from the other side. I know Hades is taking it easy on me, but I’m still feeling overloaded. I don’t know how he manages to juggle everything. When we’re not in meetings or court, I’m trying to catch up on the huge amount of emails and reports that accumulated while I was off in the Mortal Realm. I also need to start thinking about how to restructure my old department now that I have additional responsibilities. I’m glad that Hades has just as much of a backlog, or I would be feeling very stressed. 

As it is, sharing an office with him has its compensations. Whenever one of us can’t focus any longer, we have a chat or a snuggle or a makeout session. Sometimes all three. We’re winding down one of these when Sorya and Hecate come in for a scheduled meeting. Sorya has some good news about public relations.

“People are responding very enthusiastically to the press campaign,” she says. “The interview was released yesterday and there’s already millions of hits. Comments are overwhelmingly positive.”

“Excellent,” Hecate says. “And what are people saying about Demeter’s interview?”

“Of course some people delight in the more prurient angle, but the majority are responding to the romance. They’d rather believe a love story.”

“Sales are up, too. I imagine it’s not a coincidence,” Hecate replies.

“Well, great, I guess. How about Barley Mother? Any consequences there?” I ask.

“Yes, in fact,” Sorya says. “Lots of negative chatter online. We don’t know their sales numbers of course, but the buzz is very detrimental.”

I exchange a look with Hades. I can’t say I’m exactly happy about causing financial damage to my mother’s company, but at least the public is responding positively to the truth.

“What are your next steps, Sorya?” Hades asks.

“I’ve got a whole lineup of photos from all of your sessions to dole out little by little. They’re really wonderful, people can’t help responding to them. In addition, I have a bunch of influencers signed up to start saying positive things, so we can keep the interest high. If you’re right, Persephone, and there are problems in the Mortal Realm, we’ll start talking to reporters about that as soon as it’s confirmed.”

I nod. “That sounds fine. Thank you for all the work you’re putting in.”

I get up and go over to the window, looking out. I try to focus on other things while Hades wraps things up, dismissing the others to get back to their tasks. When he comes up behind me, I’m more or less in control of my emotions.

“I know this is hard for you,” he says. “You must feel so torn up inside.”

“Yeah. I hate that she’s put me in this position. I hate that she won’t just  _ listen _ to me.”

He wraps his arms around me, holding me close. We look out over the city together.

***

We arrive at the main square of the town of Leuctra. I glance up at Hades. He’s wearing a beautifully embroidered chiton with a long black himation of heavy silk draped over his shoulder and pinned with a golden brooch the size of my palm, depicting Cerberus. His ensemble is embellished with heavy armbands of gold, and earrings and a crown. Long hair spills down over his shoulders and I think he looks dazzling: barbaric and sophisticated at the same time. He smiles at me, and I feel my nipples tighten in response. 

Megaera is waiting for us at the main palace gate. “Praxidike,” she says, bowing her head. “I’m sorry to say that Demeter accepted the invitation. She’s already here.”

I feel Hades’s fingers tighten on mine. I know he’s very unhappy about this, though he understands that Psyche had to invite her. It would have been very rude and possibly dangerous to snub a major goddess. 

“I’m not surprised,” I say. “I’m sure she couldn’t miss the opportunity to glare at us.”

“We’ll keep her far away from you. Tisiphone is already watching her.”

“Thanks, Meg. There’s no need to be aggressive about it. Just don’t let her sneak up on me, and I’ll be fine.”

She nods, and retreats to a discreet distance. Hades and I enter the palace, taking up a more formal stance with my hand resting on his forearm.

“Sweetness,” Hades says, controlling a growl. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I won’t let her ruin our friends’ wedding. And I have to face her again sooner or later. Let her see how happy we are, and that everyone else accepts us.”

He nods reluctantly. “I can’t promise to be polite to her, if she gets started.”

“So long as you’re not the one starting something, I’m content.”

We enter the main courtyard, decorated with flowers and swoops of bright fabric. Torches and lamps stand ready to light the space after nightfall. Queen Damaris is poised by the archway, greeting her guests with smooth courtesy. We wait politely while she speaks to Ares and Aphrodite, maintaining a calm demeanor despite engaging in conversation with gods. 

When they move on, Damaris turns smiling to us, the next of her guests. Her face freezes when she recognizes me, then her eyes dart to my companion. She gapes at Hades in open terror, and he does nothing to soothe her fears, standing proudly tall and glaring down his nose at her. He can be quite charming when he wants to, but seeing him embrace his fierce aspect sets me tingling all over. He hasn’t forgotten the way she drugged her daughter. Perhaps if my mother hadn’t done the same to me, he might not have felt so strongly. 

“Beloved,” I say, pretending that nothing is amiss. “I would like you to meet Psyche’s mother, Queen Damaris. Damaris, this is my husband, Hades, God of the Dead and King of the Underworld.”

I smile as sweetly as I can, and wait for the mortal woman’s response. She wets her lips and shuffles nervously. She’s afraid to address him, but he’s clearly waiting for her to do so. 

“D-d-dread lord,” she whispers at last.

“Lady. Your daughter is the very essence of kindness, and an asset to Olympus. We are honored by her friendship,” Hades replies coldly.

Whatever she expected to hear, it wasn’t that. Her eyes go round as saucers as she tries to stammer her thanks. 

“Where is the bride to be found?” I ask. I don’t really need to ask; I’ve assigned security personnel to keep an eye on Psyche and make sure no one interferes with her big day. Artemis intended to stay near her, as well.

“She is preparing in her room, gentle goddess. I will send a servant to guide you, if you wish.”

“No need. The Furies will show me,” I say, just to press the point a little harder. I don’t like this woman one bit. I can already guess how it will go on the day she stands before us, awaiting her judgment. I imagine she is picturing that, too.

***

Psyche is sitting calmly in the center of a whirl of activity. Mortal girls and a few nymphs flutter around her, offering her bits of fruit to eat, or sips of wine. Artemis is leaning against the wall, looking both bored and a touch wistful. 

“Hey, there you are,” she says. “Psyche’s been asking for you.”

“Sorry, we’re running a little late. We put the dogs in the kennel for the evening and they didn’t want to go.”

My friend laughs. This is the kind of delay she understands. “There haven't been any problems yet, but watch out for those sisters of hers--they’re vipers.”

I nod, and glance over at the main group. Psyche looks up and meets my eyes.

“Oh, Persephone!” she cries. “I am so glad you are here! Please, come meet my sisters.”

There’s a slight twist to her mouth as she says this, and I understand what she means. She told me all about her sisters and their role in her falling-out with Eros, and then there’s the news that one of them is actually Zeus’s daughter.

She gestures to two young mortal women, who look much like her, though a great deal less poised and joyful. “This is Calanthe and this is Zona. Sisters, you have the honor to meet Persephone, Goddess of Spring and the Queen of the Underworld.”

Behind me, Artemis snorts, still not used to my new title. The two mortal women, however, react much like their mother, with horror and shock.

“You are married to the Unseen One?” says Zona.

“I did not think he had a wife!” says Calanthe.

“We were married very recently,” I explain. “I will be sure to introduce you.”

Psyche bites her lip to keep from laughing as her sisters recoil. I study them carefully, but I can’t see much resemblance between Calanthe and Zeus. Perhaps something to the cast of her cheekbones? She looks more like Damaris and her sisters than anyone else.

“It would be a great honor,” Zona says to me, with careful precision.

Calanthe doesn’t say anything. Her eyes refuse to meet mine. I wait for her to speak, but the silence stretches.

“Will you make some flowers for my hair?” Psyche says to me. “I wanted them to be from you.”

I’m deeply touched. “Of course I will! Anemone and amaranth?” 

“You remembered! Yes, please.”

Hebe bursts into the room, closely followed by Damaris. The young goddess is simply bedecked with flowers: daisies, lilacs, and crocuses in shades of white, purple, and yellow. She skips up to Psyche. “Mama says everything is ready whenever you are! And Eros is  _ flipping out. _ ” 

Psyche smiles gently. “I am ready as soon as I have my flowers.”

“Oh, yes!” I focus my powers, and my hands fill with a generous bouquet of golden and purple flowers. I hold them out to my friend and let her select the ones she wants, and her sisters place them in her hair.

Damaris stands tensely nearby, holding a long veil in her hands. “Daughter,” she says. “May I help you with this?”

“Certainly, Mother,” Psyche says and waits quietly while her mother drapes her in the sheer fabric, arranging the delicate golden embroidery around the edges so that it balances properly and will not slide. The bride stands and the lovely veil trails behind her on the floor. “I am ready.”

Hebe takes my hand and leads me through the palace and down to the courtyard, bathed in the warm glow of sunset, where Eros waits to be forever joined to his beloved. Finding Hades in the large crowd is quite easy, and I congratulate myself on having the luck to marry the tallest of the gods. He’s standing on the edge of a large circle of people, the center left clear for the wedding party itself. Eros is waiting between his parents, and gives me a nervous little wave. I wave back as I stop next to Hades. Hebe greets her uncle with an enthusiastic hug. 

A few straggling guests are filing in, shuffling around for a good viewing spot. The circle is complete except for one aisle left open. I scan the crowd for my mother, but I don’t see her. I’m both relieved and nervous because of it. 

Zeus and Hera enter together, smiling and nodding at everyone. The mortal guests, huddled in a group together, shrink away from them. They take up a position opposite us, near to Eros’s little group. Then Aristides and Damaris come in, stopping awkwardly a little distance away from the immortals. Finally Psyche arrives, radiant under her veil, attended by her sisters. I spot Alecto trailing after this party, and she gives me a nod. The bride walks right up to Eros and takes his hand, and the pair turn to face Hera.

“I can’t see!” Hebe complains in a loud whisper. “Lift me up, Uncle Hades?”

There’s no one between where we stand and the couple with their immediate family, but I suppose she can’t see her parents from her height. Hades doesn’t question, just lifts her up to his shoulder and holds her there with one arm. Indulging his adored niece is one of few affronts to his dignity that he accepts without question. I smile fondly to myself. His other arm steals around my waist and holds me close, so I have no reason to feel slighted.

It’s a beautiful wedding. I start leaking tears almost immediately, and keep glancing up at Hades to exchange secretive smiles. I’m so delighted for our friends, that they have finally reached this day. Everyone should have the chance to be this happy. 

***

After so many parties over the past two weeks, it’s very odd that this one feels welcome and not burdensome. We’re not the focus of attention, and the setting in the Mortal Realm makes a pleasant change. The courtyard is decorated with the flowers and plants I sent: heliotrope, ivy, jasmine, myrtle and violets. They scent the air, and the torchlight bathes everyone in a warm glow. I’m feeling mellow and cheerful, and also very hungry. I can’t help wondering when the food will be served.

“Really,” snaps Hera. “What was Psyche’s mother thinking? Women on one side, men on the other? What kind of party is that?”

Hestia shakes her head. “You know perfectly well that’s how the mortals do it. It’s probably better for the girls to stay away from drunken men who might grab them.”

“I feel so sorry for mortal women,” Amphitrite puts in. “They never seem to get a fair deal.”

“I did tell Damaris that it wouldn’t work, but I suppose she didn’t listen,” I comment. I wonder if Damaris thought the separation would make confrontation with Zeus more avoidable.

Hera shrugs. “Anyway, I told her the mortal guests can do what they want but we’re not going to be treated like that.”

I have to conceal my smile. We just happen to be conversing in a group of only women, near a group of men which includes our husbands. They’re being rowdy, anticipating the wine that will begin flowing once Psyche’s father officially starts this celebration.

Aphrodite sways up to join us. “What’s the holdup, anyone know?”

“I made them rearrange things,” Hera says. “They intended to do that only-men-get-the-good-stuff routine.”

“ _ Euch, _ what’s the point of that?” Aphrodite snarks, rolling her eyes.

“I think they believe that wine isn’t healthy for women,” Athena replies. “Which is ridiculous, because have you  _ seen _ their water?”

Eros hustles up to our group and stops when he sees me. “Perse, do you know where Psyche went? I can’t find her.”

“Yes, her mother wanted to speak privately with her,” I reply. “Don’t panic. Alecto went with them.”

“That’s an interesting definition of  _ private, _ ” Aphrodite says after her son goes.

I shrug. “What Damaris doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

We exchange smiles of mutual understanding.

***

Hades and his brothers have secured the best location in the courtyard, a spot obviously intended solely for them. It’s a classic  _ triklinion _ of three couches arranged around a low table, on a raised platform at one end of the courtyard. Each of the narrow couches supports a reclining king. They look  _ exactly _ like the picture of the three of them in one of my old history textbooks, and I catch a serious case of the giggles. Hades spots me as I approach and waves me over.

“There you are!” he says. “I would have gone to look for you but I didn’t trust these jerks to save our seat.”

I laugh and sit down with him. He’s lying on his left side, propped up on some cushions, and occupying most of the couch. It’s weird that the mortals insist on sticking to this very formal and old-fashioned way of dining that has long since gone out of style in Olympus. Hades seems pretty comfortable, though. There’s just enough room on the couch for me to sit if I snuggle up against him, which I don’t mind at all. Once I’m comfortable he hands me his wine cup.

“Thanks. Do you know they wouldn’t give me one? The servants don’t even meet my eye.”

“It’s traditional!” Zeus says from his couch. “And what’s wrong with that? Besides, it’s not like Hades doesn’t share.”

I exchange a glance with Hades as we consider explaining what’s wrong with it, but both decide it’s not worth the effort. A servant enters the space with platters of food and I am more hungry than I am irritated. This servant, at least, is willing to acknowledge that I’m entitled to eat, even if he seems flustered by my presence. I secure a plate of small nibbly foods, and hold it so Hades can take some. 

“I still haven’t seen my mother,” I say, very softly. I don’t want to have this conversation with the others.

Hades’s face falls. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew. She’s up in the second floor gallery, watching us.” He flicks his gaze to the side without moving his head.

I don’t move either. “Oh. I suppose she has been all along?”

“Yes. Tisiphone told me, I assumed they’d tell you too.” 

I shrug and sip from the wine cup, trying to look at ease. “The Furies have a lot to do today. Anyway, I’m glad to know so I can stop worrying about it. At least she’s keeping her distance.”

I hand Hades the cup and lean in to kiss him, taking my time. That ought to give Mother something to think about. 

***

The music comes to a dramatic conclusion, and everyone applauds. The dancers bow towards the next dais over, where Eros and Psyche sit together on their couch. They laugh in delight, clapping enthusiastically for the performers. I am thrilled to see their happiness.

Throughout the musical performance, Hades has been slowly working his hand inside my peplos, using our voluminous draped garments as cover. He’s managed to burrow through all my clothes, and is caressing the bare skin of my hip with the tips of his fingers. I shiver, trying to conceal it. I don’t look at him. 

Hera gets up from the couch she’s sharing with Zeus, and calls to Aphrodite, moving off our platform to consult about the progress of the party. Something about our quietness attracts Zeus’s attention now that his wife is absent.

“What are you two up to over there?” he asks, squinting at us. 

Our couch is situated in a dark spot between torches. Hades chose it very thoughtfully. “Plotting and treachery,” he says. 

I choke on a sip of wine. I’m shocked that he would refer to something that was nearly true, so blatantly. Zeus laughs merrily, though, so I suppose Hades knows better than I do what he can get away with, and what will best distract his brother.

“Plotting to sneak away, I’ll bet,” Zeus says, waving his wine cup. “Seriously, I know you two have a bedroom, not to mention a whole lot of other rooms with perfect privacy. What’s with this exhibitionism thing?”

I am so hideously embarrassed I can’t move or speak. I feel like my face is going to melt right off. The hand that’s been exploring stops suddenly, and Hades half-sits up, placing his other arm around me protectively.

“Oh, because  _ your _ romantic inclinations amount to nothing more than a harmless eccentricity?” he snaps, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “You really shouldn’t be criticizing others, when your behavior doesn’t bear scrutiny.”

Zeus gapes openly at him. “Shit, c’mon, man, when did you have your sense of humor surgically removed? Was it at the same time they installed that stick up your ass? Damn!”

Hades’s arm tightens around my waist and I can see that he’s simmering with anger, but he doesn’t unleash it. Poseidon returns from wherever he wandered off to, with a tray in his hands.

“Look what I found! Dolmades!”

He offers the tray around and we all take some. Biting into one stirs a wave of nostalgia for me. Stuffed grape leaves are one of my mother’s favorites.

“Does Poseidon make a habit of popping up when he’s needed to defuse situations?” I ask Hades.

“Yes. All the time, it must be some sort of middle brother instinct.” He reaches out and feeds me a bit of fruit, watching while I chew and swallow. “I’m sorry for losing my temper, Sweetness.”

“That’s okay. I didn’t know what to say, so I’m glad you did.”

“He really should know better than to talk to you like that. It's cruel.”

“It’s cruel for him to talk that way to me, but not to you?”

“Yes. Considering all you did to help him, he shouldn’t embarrass you or put you on the spot.”

I shrug. “When it really mattered, in front of my mother, he backed us up. I can take a little embarrassment, I think.”

Hades nods slowly. “All right. I don’t mean to be overly protective.”

“You’re allowed, Smush.” I offer him a small meat-filled pastry and he takes it from my fingers, his eyes hot on mine. I know perfectly well how much he wants to get out of here, and I do as well. I’m sure we won’t be able to go for a long time. This party is still very much in full swing, and I’m not eager for another embarrassment.

***

I make a round through the courtyard, spending time chatting with friends and acquaintances, sitting down with them, sharing a few tidbits. After a while I decide enough time has passed to conceal my real purpose, and I casually move over to a set of stairs under a portico. I’m in deep shadows here, and no one is nearby to see my ascent.

I begin to climb the stairs to the gallery, being as quiet as I can, but pause when I hear my mother’s voice, focused and outraged. “--you’ve been feeding me lies, telling me that my daughter was fine, that she’s learning and protected and safe!”

There’s a sharp noise of disbelief and then Hera’s voice replies. “Me? What about you? You told me that your plan would bring a great change, and goddesses would be in charge, and we could make men behave better, but that isn’t what you meant at all, is it? You were going to send them all to Tartarus, I’ll bet. I thought you wanted change, but what you wanted was to be the oppressor!”

“What would it matter, if you could be rid of that cheating bastard forever?” Mother snaps.

“That wasn’t your decision to make, was it?”

“I  _ asked _ you to look out for my innocent child, and you promised you would. And all along, you were planning to throw her to that filthy lecher! Tell me, what did you get out of it? Did you get paid well for your services in allowing him to debauch my daughter and ruin her future?” 

“Please, your distortions do you no credit,” Hera spits. “Your daughter is a queen now, how can you be upset about that? She has literally attained the highest station possible.”

“My daughter would have been the virgin goddess of the entire Earth! She would have been known, and loved, and worshipped by every mortal in existence! They would have knelt at her feet and wept tears of joy for her smiles! Will they weep now? Or will they cringe in fear?”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Hera scoffs. “And what’s wrong with fear? It’s the beginning of respect. It’s what  _ you _ planned, isn’t it? Make us all fear you? It’s what you’ve thirsted for ever since the Titanomachy.”

“I told you then I only needed one more chance! I could have convinced Kronos to stand down, I almost had him listening to me! We could have achieved a bloodless transition and had an ideal world from the beginning! We could have had harmony and equality! But no, all of you had to take the path of violence.” 

“I’m sick of rehashing this with you. You remember things very differently from the rest of us. Let me know when you’re ready to return to reality, rather than that ridiculous fantasy world you inhabit.” 

I hear the sound of Hera’s footsteps, approaching the stairs. I don’t bother to run or hide myself. I stand waiting until she comes down, stopping cold when she sees me. Her eyes widen in slight surprise, but she gives no further reaction. She glances over her shoulder, then back at me. Slowly she shakes her head. I think she is advising me against going up and speaking to my mother.

“There you are,” says Hecate, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “They want to continue the entertainment. We can’t start without you.” Her gaze darts between Hera and me. I suppose she has a good idea of what’s going on, she generally does.

“I’ll be right there,” I say. “First I need to speak to someone.”

Leaving Hera and Hecate behind, I climb the stairs to the upper portico. It’s quite dark up here, above the torchlight. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, and then I spot my mother over by the railing, leaning out and scanning the courtyard. Looking for me, I suppose. 

I catch a slight movement in the shadows by the far wall, and see that it’s Megaera. She approaches me, soft-footed, but Mother notices and turns to see us. She flinches back in surprise.

“Kore? Is that you?”

“Yes, Mother. I want to speak to you. Megaera, why don’t you go get yourself something to eat? I need a few minutes.”

Megaera hesitates for a moment, but she and her sisters swore to obey me. “As you say, Praxidike.” She turns and goes down the stairs. 

I face my mother. She’s standing rigid, gripping the sides of her peplos. Reminding herself not to try to touch me.

“Oh, my sweet baby,” she whispers. “I hoped you would come to me.”

“This doesn’t mean I forgive you.” I’m keeping my voice equally quiet, all too aware how easy it would be to eavesdrop on us. “I’m quite shocked and disappointed that you would stoop to selling lies to a tabloid. I would have thought that was beneath you.”

“I will do whatever it takes to make you see. I didn’t expect to walk free again from that mockery of a hearing,” Mother says. “You protected me, darling. You didn’t tell anyone about my plan. I’m so very proud of you! I know that means you want to come back to me, even if you can’t admit it. Even if you’re bewitched with this idea of playing queen.”

I sigh. I should have expected that she would misinterpret things. “You’re wrong, Mother. I told Hades. We decided together not to tell anyone else. So if you’re grateful that you’re not in Tartarus right now, you should thank my husband. And this is not the place to discuss it.”

She frowns. “No, I quite see that.”

“I am here to ask you if you mean to carry out your plan.”

“If you want me not to do it, all you have to do is come home with me now. It will be all right, darling. I’ll help you!”

I shake my head. “Nothing but retribution and anger will come of this plan, Mother.”

“What does it matter if that disgusting defiler is angry? I can protect you!”

My stomach cramps viciously in response to that word, the same word that Gaia chose to use. I stop bothering to keep my voice down. If anyone wants to overhear this, they’re welcome. “I will not listen while you insult Hades. There’s no one here for you to grandstand for. There’s no one here to influence me. Can’t we try to establish some grounds for honesty and mutual respect?”

“Do you think I haven’t been honest with you?” She looks genuinely surprised.

“I think dishonesty is the least you would do if you thought it would get you what you want. But I don’t need your lies or your plan to starve the mortals. I have my own protections.”

“Yes, I see how Hades is keeping his Furies around you, like traps to keep you from running away.”

“Haven’t you heard? The Furies are mine now.”

“I’m sure they’ve told you that, but darling, it doesn’t make sense. Can’t you see that he’s using you? I must say I’m surprised that you could be swayed by the attraction of wealth. I didn’t think I raised you that way.”

I really don’t want to be having this conversation any longer. She denies everything I say, and manages to do it with a tone of pity, as if I should be ashamed for being so foolish.

“Mother. If you want to go on having any kind of relationship with me, you’ll stop your plan. If you take irrevocable action in my name I will not be able to forget it. I’m going now. Don’t follow me.”

“My darling, please remember that no matter what horrid things he makes you do, you will always be welcome by my side.”

I sigh as I descend the stairs rapidly, trying to convince myself that I’m not running away. I really have no reason to fear her, but I’m not sure if I believe that. At the bottom of the stairs I find Hera waiting with Megaera. The purple Fury nods to me and goes back up the stairs. Hera waits until she’s gone before speaking.

“You do like to throw your weight around, don’t you? Not that I blame you. It’s a mistake to let anyone forget who you are.”

I shake my head. I can’t think clearly enough to begin verbal fencing with Hera. We walk together along the shadowy portico, slowly meandering back to our seats. As we turn the corner, we come upon a tall, shadowy figure waiting quietly. This person turns toward us and I see that it’s Ares. 

“Are you aware of this, Ma?” he says, pointing. 

A short distance away, inside the courtyard, Zeus is talking to Calanthe. They’re standing there in full view of any number of people, but no one is near enough to hear what they’re saying to each other.

It’s obvious to me that Zeus is making an attempt to know his daughter, if only for a few moments. I wonder if he’s told Calanthe. She doesn’t seem afraid, but she isn’t being very warm, either. I look at Ares and Hera. I can guess what they’re thinking. That’s bad enough, but if they knew the truth they would be even angrier.

While we watch, Zeus wraps up the conversation and Calanthe curtsies respectfully. They separate, the mortal woman going back to her family, Zeus wandering in the direction of a servant carrying a wine jug. Ares and Hera are standing tense and still, eyeing one another. I excuse myself. Nothing good can come of my interfering with them.

I return to the  _ triklinion _ to find Hades sitting up on our couch, sipping from his cup and chatting with Poseidon, who is sprawled on his own couch. “What, not reclining anymore, like a man of refinement?” I tease. I take the wine cup and seat myself in his lap. 

Hades grins and wraps an arm around my waist. “It’s actually the worst. If I stay like that for too long after eating I get heartburn.”

I laugh, deeply amused by this for some reason. I glance over at Poseidon, but he has turned away to talk to a pretty mortal girl. “How soon do you think we can sneak out?” I murmur.

He nods over to his brother. “It’s going to be a while. They’re taking turns, trying to catch us.”

I squirm a bit against his leg. “I’m getting to the point where I don’t care.”

“Not to worry, little goddess. They’re drinking a lot; sooner or later they’ll forget.”

***

A group of children run out into the performers’ area, and I recognize Eros’s siblings. They line up, more or less in size order, the littlest ones held by the elders. They’re grinning widely, and I catch a look of amused pride on Aphrodite’s face. They begin to sing, a charming folk song about a farmer going to market to buy animals. Each verse is complete with the sounds the animals make--the rooster, the cat, the dog, the sheep and so on. 

The little ones really get into it, and start acting out the animals’ parts, some of them managing to manifest some feathers and fur. It’s adorable and hilarious, and the guests are roaring with laughter. I giggle, sitting next to Hades, and he’s grinning widely. The children add a number of verses I’ve never heard, diverging into chimeras and hydra and basilisks. They conclude with one last raucous chorus, and all run out, still in character.

Eros and Psyche are wiping away tears of merriment, and the mortal guests seem stunned with amazement and laughter. We’re all in a hilarious mood when the next performer comes out: a young mortal man, simply dressed. A servant helps him to be seated on a stool, and hands him a harp. Looking more closely, I see the man is wearing a bandage over his eyes. He strums his harp, and everyone in the courtyard focuses on him. I notice in particular that the mortals are paying rapt attention.

The bard begins a slow introduction, plucking soft, sweet notes from his instrument. He begins to sing. His voice is full of emotion, drawing me into the story he’s telling. He sings of a loyal daughter called Antigone, who followed her father everywhere and cared for him through many adversities. After the father’s death, she learned of the death in battle of her brother. She journeyed to the battlefield to see to it that the brother received proper honors and burial, but the local king forbade this. He wished the brother to be dishonored and the body left as carrion.

Under cover of night, Antigone ventured out and saw to her brother’s burial with all appropriate ritual. The king was infuriated and ordered her to be entombed alive. After a day, he had a change of heart, but when the tomb was opened it was found that the poor girl had hanged herself.

There is long and enthusiastic applause when the bard’s song comes to its melancholy conclusion. I turn to Hades. “Why do mortals want to have such a sad song at a wedding?”

“No idea. You think I get invited to a lot of weddings?” He’s clapping with definite approval, though.

“I guess you liked the theme, huh?” I ask.

He grins and shrugs. Looking around, I see people wiping their eyes, but they also seem delighted by the song. Even Eros and Psyche look pleased. Hera rises from her seat and goes over to where the bard is seated. Everyone in the courtyard stills their noise, waiting respectfully to see what she’ll do.

“Singer, you tell a most affecting tale,” she says. “I wonder if it is possible that this story is true?”

Being blind, he can’t know who is addressing him, but nonetheless he has the sense to speak respectfully. “Noble lady, I have reason to believe it is. I was told the story by one who witnessed much of it.”

A man rises among the mortal guests. He’s tall and lean, past his youth, and wearing a simple crown of bronze. He bows deeply to Hera. “‘Tis quite true, O Queen of Heaven. The young lady in question was my betrothed.”

“How very interesting,” she says. “What is your name, mortal king?”

“If it please you, Gracious One, I am called Peleus,” he replies, with another bow.

She moves over to speak with him directly and the other people in the courtyard move on with their conversations. Zeus finishes his wine and rises to go join his wife. I wonder if he can’t even bear to let her have a private conversation with another man. 

The bard begins to play again, a simple, cheerful tune. 

“Did it really happen the way he described?” I ask Hades.

“More or less. Poets do tend to exaggerate,” he says. “We can look up the scroll when we get home, if you like.”

“Maybe I will.” I’m mildly interested, mostly to know if the story got changed by the bard’s artistry. It’s not important, though.

I watch Zeus and Hera again. She’s still talking with the mortal king, but Zeus’s attention seems to have wandered. He’s looking at Damaris, seated nearby. She’s very carefully not looking at him.

I watch as Hera and Zeus turn away from the mortal king, speaking amiably together and moving back to our seating area. They have just stepped onto the platform when three women enter the performers’ space. 

Hades has been distracted for the past few minutes with nuzzling my neck and ear, but the newcomers catch his eye. His head jerks up and his crown bumps my temple. “Oh, sorry!” he says. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” I adjust my own crown, and look over at what he’s focused on. The three women now standing in the center of the courtyard, waiting calmly for everyone’s attention, are the Fates.

“Oh, this should be good,” Hades breathes.

No one else seems to have noticed them, but as we watch, other people slowly catch on. Zeus and Hera, settling again on their couch, are the first to turn, both of them snapping into stiff postures. Poseidon and Amphitrite are next, and then the awareness spreads through everyone present. Shortly everyone in the courtyard is alert, eyes locked on the three goddesses.

Lachesis smiles a sharp, dangerous smile, and steps forward. “Mortalkind, rejoice! You are privileged to live in a time of greatness. Know that the era of legends is upon you. The age of heroes and poets has begun. Your oracle’s master is silenced. You will receive no guidance from the future unless we choose to give it.”

She steps back and her place is taken by Clotho. Hades’s hand circles my waist, pulling me close. His face is very serious.

Clotho speaks. “The sea nymph betrayer must marry, and soon. Her son will be greater still than his father. What man here shall have the courage to take her as bride?”

Finally Atropos steps forward, waiting quietly while the slight murmurs stirred up by her sisters’ words die down. “The world marches toward war. The time of strife begins soon. There shall be many weddings, many births, many deaths. It is a time of change, a time of evolution, a time of metamorphosis.” 

She pauses to look all around the courtyard, her eyes seeming to pierce each individual. When her gaze passes over me, I think I detect a slight smirk. She finishes with her eyes locked on Zeus. “Beware, mortalkind. The gods do not always have your best interests in mind. You will need more than faith to survive the times to come.”

The three Fates laugh together in eerie unison, then disappear without further fanfare. We’re all left to stare at one another in confusion.

***

The drinking starts in earnest after that, and Hades and I soon manage to sneak off in the dark. We leave the main courtyard full of torches and boisterous revellers far behind and explore passageways in the palace, hand in hand, until we find ourselves in a service yard.

“Through here,” Hades says, pointing at an archway. 

I’m not sure where he intends to go, but I’m willing. We enter into a dark space that feels like a stable. I can hear sounds of shifting hooves and breathing, and I catch the smell of horses. I giggle, as quietly as I can. Heat is singing in my veins, both from all the wine I’ve had and the excitement of stealing off with my husband. I watch him looking around. He seems to have something in mind. 

We walk down the central aisle of the stable, trying not to disturb the animals. 

“Where are we going?” I whisper.

“You’ll see when we--ah, there.”

Against the wall is a wooden ladder, leading up to a hole in the ceiling. Hades guides me over to it. “Up there,” he directs.

“It’s dark up there.”

“Yes? Is that a problem, little goddess?”

“No. I just want to make sure you understand what you’re implying,” I say, light and teasing. “If I go up there with you, I’m going to have certain expectations.”

I can’t really see him, but his dark laugh sets my pulse thumping. I begin climbing the ladder, aware that Hades’s eyes are on me and my bottom must be drawing his attention. I could more easily fly to the top, but I imagine this is more interesting to watch. 

“ _ What _ a view,” he says, confirming my guess. He’s well below me and can probably see up my skirt, as much as can be seen in the dim. 

I laugh as I step up into the loft. It’s piled with mounds of fresh hay, giving off the delightful scent that I associate with long days of harvesting with the nymphs.

“What do you think?” I say as Hades reaches the top. “Does this surface qualify as reasonably flat?”

I hear a soft, deep chuckle. “It will do. Help me with this?”

He unfastens his heavy silk mantle, and hands me one side. “My, you were optimistic, weren’t you, coming prepared like this? I did wonder why you wanted to wear another layer.”

We spread the cloak on one of the smaller piles, and I kneel at the edge. 

“Are you saying you’re unhappy about that?” He’s opening his chiton pins, so I begin doing the same. Apparently both of us are rather eager.

“Not in the least. It’s very gratifying to be the beneficiary of your planning.”

Hades’s long chiton drops to the floor in a puddle of black fabric, and he takes a step forward. I’m looking up at my magnificently aroused, naked husband. I catch my breath. I wish I could see him better, but then again, feeling my way in the dark could be fun, too. I stand up again and let my peplos fall as well. I slip out of my sandals and pose.

“Come here often, big guy?”

“Not nearly often enough, if this is the sort of thing that usually happens in haylofts.”

I giggle, and make a clumsy attempt to climb Hades like a tree. He helps, bending his knee to support my foot, then slinging his hands under my butt. “I have heard that agricultural settings often lead to frolicsome behavior. It’s very exciting to get to partake, for once.”

“Only once, little goddess?” He lowers us both down to the cloak spread over a bed of rustling hay. 

“Ambitious, are we?” 

Hades starts exploring with his hands, one down the back of my thigh, the other cupping my head. His lips and tongue move on my throat: licking, nipping, sucking. My nipples are stiff points, so hard my breasts ache. I want to be touched, but even more than that I want to drive Hades wild. He’s making assumptions about what’s happening tonight, taking the lead for the moment, stroking his fingers slowly up my inner thigh. 

I’m too keyed up to lie back passively and let him make love to me. I want to be the one bestowing indulgence and pleasure. I sit up and capture his hand, encouraging him to lie down on his back.

“Is something wrong?” he asks.

“Not at all. Lately you keep wanting to serve me. But this time, it’s  _ my _ turn.” 

“Oh, well. I did promise equality between us, didn’t I?” Hades leans back on his elbows and makes a gesture inviting me to make free with him.

I grin, delighting in the sight of my husband, inflamed with desire, his beautiful marble-scarred body kissed by cool moonlight. I can just make out that he’s smiling, but I can’t decipher the subtler undertones of his emotions. I think about my own feelings instead. I could mount him right now and use his hard cock until I get what I need. I’ve been horny for hours, eager to get him alone. Now that I have him where I want him, I want to take my time. I guess I’m learning some patience at last.

I crawl down the crackling hay to crouch at his feet. I take one in my hand and begin to rub, digging my thumb into his arch. 

Hades grumbles in frustration. “Are you going to torment me, woman?”

“Oh, now you’re on the receiving end, and suddenly you call it  _ torment, _ huh?” I laugh, soft and mischievous. 

A low growl sounds in the darkness. “We’ve been doing foreplay all evening. I’ve been patient!”

There’s something to what he’s saying, and I am very worked up. I thirst to touch him more directly. I want to make him need me desperately, and lose control. I want to hear the sounds he makes when he surrenders completely to me.

“All right then, O Patient, Long-Suffering One. Take what I have to offer.” I stroke up his calves, not stopping to linger and explore but venturing straight upwards. 

“Oh,” he breathes softly. A sound of approval, I’m guessing. 

I pause to trace circles in the tender skin of his inner thighs, making a plan in my head. I’m going to stay in charge. I’m going to be the generous one, the one granting wishes.

I circle the base of Hades’s cock with my hand, holding it pointing straight up. I let my hand slide a little up and down, just initiated proceedings. Testing his level of response: his restraint or lack thereof.

He’s beautiful. His pronounced, dramatic lust for me stirs an answering surge of heat in my loins. I rock my hips and squeeze my thighs together, enjoying soft flutters in my core. I lean forward and purse my lips. I blow lightly over his erection, leaning down to blow on his testicles, too.

“Tease!”

“Mm-hmm. Now where do you suppose I learned that?”

I don’t tease any further. I place my tongue in the soft spot under his balls and begin tracing the veins upwards, lightly, slowly, letting my breath warm him. I release his cock and let it rest on his belly, continuing my upwards path along the underside. By the time I reach the tip, his breathing is short and rapid.

“Please, Sweetness? I can beg if you want.”

I control a giggle. I know I can make him beg. He’s a little too willing to do so tonight. It wouldn’t be the same, when he’s already so needful.

“Just relax, love. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

I take him in my hand again, moving up and down with a slight twisting motion. Hades sighs deeply, finally feeling some relief, I imagine. I do this for a while, getting into it, letting him think that I only intend to use my hands. Then, on a downstroke, I dip my head and take the thick, swollen head of his cock entirely in my mouth. I swirl my tongue around it, lapping vigorously, spreading wetness for my next maneuvers.

Hades touches my hair gently, panting and gasping in response to my actions. I look up at him, rotating my tongue rapidly. His face is in the shadows so I can’t really make out his expression. He can probably see me better, since I’m in the moonlight. I flick my tongue, purely for the visual effect. 

“I love you,” he says, raspy and soft. 

I don’t want to let him out of my mouth. I slide down his cock as much as I can without breaking eye contact, and trace my nails along his belly, over his chest to his shoulder. Hades lifts up to get closer, and my fingers find his jaw. My thumb traces his lips and he kisses it. I cup his face gently, telling him that I love him too. He knows that. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t.

I take back my hand, needing it for myself. I let it slide down my body, teasing my breasts, over my belly, between my thighs. I watch Hades watching my hand while I move my mouth up and down his cock in slow strokes. He’s paying too much attention to what I’m doing to myself, and not enough to what I’m doing to  _ him. _

I slide his foreskin forward, tugging it between my lips until I pull it just past the tip. Hades gasps, totally focused on me now, mesmerized by my touch. I let it go, taking the head in my mouth again. I push the foreskin back with my lips, swirl the sensitive head, then repeat the tugging action.

“Oh, fuck, what are you--that’s  _ incredible! _ ” he moans.

I repeat it a few more times, then begin swirling and bobbing my mouth, twisting and stroking the shaft with my hand. My other hand is still busy rubbing my wet cleft, stoking my arousal to greater heights. I’m very turned on. The power I feel from having Hades helpless under my ministrations, making greedy sounds and pleading for more, is intoxicating. 

The fingers of my free hand jab frantically, deep inside my channel, my thumb awkwardly trying to rub my clit at the same time. It’s very hard coordinating the different motions of my two hands and my mouth moving up and down and my tongue’s lapping, and I’m losing concentration to my own arousal and my lover’s moans. My clit throbs, aching for a deeper stimulation that I can’t quite manage in my current position. 

Hades is watching this again with great interest, propped up on one elbow. “Kore,” he says with a stifled groan. “Let me touch you? Please? I would enjoy it so much.”

Put that way, I can hardly deny him. I rotate around until I feel his hand sliding up my thigh. He doesn’t bother with preliminaries, nor do I need any. Two fingers, much longer and thicker than my own, slide inside me and thrust repeatedly. His thumb finds my clit and he begins a deep, firm massage.

This frees my hand to use on him, so I cup his balls and stroke the sensitive spots underneath that make him hiss and gasp. My climax is building fast, but I concentrate on the thick shaft in my mouth: the taste of his skin, the pulsing heat of his organ, the scent of smoke and musk. 

Tingles spread through my body. I love using my mouth on Hades. He’s gasping continuously now, making involuntary short jerks of his hips, desperate pleas for movement. I give him what he wants, bobbing my mouth up and down rapidly, encouraging this, but he doesn’t let go of his control. I will have to tell him sometime that I  _ want _ to feel him pumping in my mouth. Even the thought of it makes me gush with excitement.

“ _ Fuck, _ you’re so wet!” Hades whispers. 

I suck hard in response, sliding his foreskin down. He throws his head back and lets out a deep, inarticulate cry. I can see his free hand at his side, balled into a fist, and feel the throb of imminent release in his balls. I take as much of his cock into my mouth as I can, sliding down on him, concentrating on relaxing my jaw and throat. My saliva flows freely, drizzling down his hard shaft, lubricating the action of my hand pumping up and down. 

“Oh, oh, fuck, Kore, damn, I’m gonna--” He pauses to yelp loudly. “I’m gonna come!”

As if I didn’t know that. His salty fluid spurts in the back of my throat and I take all I can. His fingers move jerkily, squeezing my pelvic bone hard. Some spot that he hits is just pure magic and I moan loudly, squealing, still holding his twitching cock in my mouth. 

I quiver violently, inhaling hard through my nose. Hades gentles his touch, massaging tenderly now, making my aftershocks deep and delicious. I lave him very gently in my mouth, knowing he’s sensitive now, just as I am. I rub the base of his shaft in small circles, and he groans in appreciation. 

I finally let him go when my jaw starts to ache. I give his softening cock a final kiss, pertly on the tip. I crawl up my husband’s torso, draping myself on his chest. 

“There, you see? I promised to take care of you.” My voice is a little rough after all the work I’ve put in.

Hades laughs. “That you did. Thank you, Persephone. That was fantastic. Did you get what you need, too?”

“Definitely.”

I lie in his arms, feeling safe and content, while he wraps the loose folds of his silk himation around us both. Nestled in a warm cocoon with my beloved, smelling the sweet hay all around us, I drop into a heavy sleep.

***

A faint creaking sound wakes me and I blink several times to clear the grit from my eyes. I lift my head from Hades’s shoulder, pushing up on one elbow, looking around. The loft where we hid away last night has a small open window, through which enters a few weak rays of dawn light, as well as a cold breeze. The source of the sound is a mortal man over by the wall, frozen in the act of dismounting from the ladder. He gapes at me. 

“You have nothing to fear,” I tell him. “As long as you don’t wake my husband.”

Next to me, Hades snorts and tightens his arm around me. He squints and yawns. The mortal squeaks in fear and retreats. I hear his feet hit the ground below, and then rapidly running steps.

I share a giggle with my sleepy beloved, then sit up and stretch, feeling my skin tightening in the chilly air. 

“I guess I can cross  _ fall asleep in a hayloft after spectacular sex _ off my bucket list,” I comment. I pick up my peplos from the floor and shake it before draping it around my torso. 

Hades laughs. “I just crossed off  _ scare a mortal before you’re fully awake, _ so it’s a good day already.”

I grin, and hand him his chiton. “The dogs are gonna be so mad at us.”

“We can make it up to them. Take them out for a nice day in the park.” He yawns widely as he stands up to shake the hay off his garments. “Mortals don’t know about coffee, do they?” 

I smile, amused. “No. Maybe we’d better go straight home.”

“Without taking leave of our hosts? That will never do, wife!” He reaches out and plucks a few stalks of hay from my hair.

I giggle. “You just want another chance to scare them.”

“What if I do?” His grin is wickedly sharp.

I shiver as I descend the ladder, the cold air stealing up under my peplos. As I approach the floor below, Hades’s big hands close on my waist, steadying me. I conceal a smile. I suppose this is why we chose to go back down the conventional way, rather than fly or transfer. Doing things the way the mortals do can be fun.

“You’re cold,” he says, lifting me down. “Take my cloak.”

“I’ll get it dirty, dragging it on the ground!”

“Hush, let me take care of you.” 

He sweeps the himation off and wraps it around me, using the brooch to fasten it so that it’s bunched around my shoulders and only hangs to my ankles. I probably look ridiculous, but I’m warm.

“Thank you.” I smile and Hades smiles back, leaning down for a kiss.

We walk out into the cool, quiet morning. It’s very early and we don’t see people about, but birds are chirping, and the horses are awake, stamping impatiently for their food. I take Hades’s hand. Everything looks different in daylight and I’m not sure which direction to go to return to the palace.

“This way, you think?” I ask, pointing. 

“Could be. I was a little too absorbed last night to pay attention to our surroundings.”

We walk along a colonnade, approaching some sounds of conversation ahead. It seems likely if people are in this direction, then either we’ll find a path we recognize, or we can get directions.

As we approach the voices become clearer, and I stop when I recognize one of the speakers as Damaris. Hades stops with me, tilting his head to listen.

"And you are certain the granary is completely full? No more room at all?"

"Yes, my lady," replies the other voice, a man. "And all your new warehouses in the city, as well. If we try to pack in more grain, we will risk infestation by rodents."

"Very good. You have done an excellent job, and I am pleased. I shall inform Lady Demeter of your efforts."

"Thank you, lady! It is enough to know that I and my family will be provided for."

"Of course. Our lady intends to take excellent care of her loyal ones. Remember, though, do not speak to any of my husband's servants. Trust only the lady's priestesses."

The voices move away and Hades and I are left staring at one another.

"Well. Not really a surprise," I say.

Hades's eyes are full of sympathy. "And possibly useful to know."

I sigh. I suppose he's right. We start walking again, passing through an archway. We emerge in the open air atop the city wall, high above the open country below. The view startles me and I stop again, trying to interpret the information my eyes are giving me.

I suppose I must be getting used to the cold in the Underworld, as I didn’t give this morning’s temperature a second thought. But looking out the fields of grain below us, it’s immediately apparent that something is very wrong.

The golden field that is nearly tall enough for harvest ought to be standing proud in the morning sunshine. Instead, it’s drooping, and darkened. The stalks are all coated with shining pale crystals. It would be beautiful, if it didn’t mean doom. I can feel the miasma of vegetative death all around me. 

“The crops are covered in frost,” I blurt.

Hades is nodding. He turns his troubled eyes to me. “I guess we can see your mother’s plan now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Beta work by Red.
> 
> For news and previews, follow me on twitter, @VerdiWithin


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